Alexandria City Public Schools is working to reopen Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School by next Monday (Oct. 7) — a week-and-a-half after the school closed due to a lead exposure.
ACPS staff are deep-cleaning the entire school (at 600 Russell Road) after an environmental contractor found lead particles last Thursday (Sept. 27) in a kindergarten classroom, a fourth grade classroom, the school clinic and the main office. The school closed the following day, and students and staff transitioned to remote learning.
“We are facing potentially a severe issue that has affected Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School,” ACPS Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt said in the meeting.
ACPS will provide updates to the community on the school website.
Students, parents, teachers, staff have been advised to get tested for lead poisoning by the Alexandria Health Department.
“We at the Alexandria Health Department understand that this situation is indeed very frightening,” said AHD Director David Rose, adding that the department will offer free testing next week.
“Most elevated lead levels are not symptomatic at all,” Rose said. “As the lead levels start to rise, however, the children may complain of more non-specific symptoms. You can have headaches, belly pains, loss of appetite and constipation based on that. You can also see some neurological signs, such as clumsiness, agitation, hyperactivity or even drowsiness and going in a couple of different directions. And as you have more of that sort of central nervous system brain involvement, you can even see vomiting or stupor, convulsions.”
The exposure was caused by contractors working on the school’s window replacement project, which started in the summer.
No information on students and staff who have been exposed was released.
If the school is forced to remain closed after Monday, ACPS is working on a contingency plan.
“We have been working with city partners to determine what recreational space is available, if there is a need to prolong or delay the reopening of school,” ACPS Chief Operating Officer Alicia Hart said in a community webinar on Tuesday night (Oct. 1).
City Manager Jim Parajon said that he’s offered the school system “any and all resources” to fix the problem.
“It affects all of our kids,” Parajon said. “It affects our parents, it affects our teachers.”
Lead poisoning can have severe consequences.
“It can cause slow growth and development, learning and behavioral problems, hearing and speech problems and damage to the brain and nervous system,” said Ashley Koski, a program manager for the Virginia Department of Health. “These health issues can contribute to a variety of issues, from decreased IQ and the ability to focus or pay attention, decreased performance in school and increased aggressive behavior.”
